Framed
by quietthinker
Summary: Jimmy's been framed for a major crime. Now he and Cindy must evade the cops, dodge his enemy, and try to clear his name. Please review. COMPLETE.
1. Betrayed

Disclaimer: I don't own Jimmy Neutron or any related characters.

Author's Note: Takes place after Season 3. Jimmy and Cindy are now fourteen.

Jimmy ran through the city, trying to avoid the people chasing him. A person dressed in a black suit and wearing sunglasses pulled out a pistol as Jimmy ran right at him. Without hesitating Jimmy dove headfirst onto the ground, sliding between the man's legs. As he slid under him Jimmy grabbed one of his legs and pulled him down. He picked himself up, grabbed the man's gun, and continued running.

As he rounded a street corner two similarly dressed men were in a window across the street. Jimmy saw them out of the corner of is eye. He dove ahead and rolled just as a bullet flew by where his head had been.

Jimmy reached into his pocket and pulled out the gun he had stolen just moments before. He saw Cindy across the street. She waved, oblivious to what was going on around her. Jimmy glanced from side to side, seeing a couple more men starting to run after him. _God, she will NEVER forgive me for this. And neither will I._

As Jimmy crossed the street he jumped onto Cindy and knocked her to the ground. He pulled her up by her hair and put one arm around her neck, pulling her to his body. With his free hand he aimed the gun at her head. "Everybody freeze!" he yelled.

All of the men froze, but aimed their guns at Jimmy. He kept the serious look on his face and placed his gun closer to Cindy's head. "You'll always have another chance to catch me, but if I fire this gun she's gone for good," he yelled. Some citizens of Retroville had started coming onto the sidewalk, wondering what was going on.

"I swear to god I'll blow her freakin' brains out unless you drop your guns," Jimmy shouted. None of the men dropped their guns. Jimmy cocked his gun and tightened his grip on the trigger. Cindy stood there completely frozen, both by fear and the shock that she had been betrayed by Jimmy. "Drop them!"

The officers slowly put down their weapons and took a step back. "Good. Now, don't try anything stupid," Jimmy said while taking a quick glance behind him. "Stay there and I'll let the girl go in a minute." Jimmy started walking backwards to his house. He kept a close eye on the men watching him. One of them started to move forward, but Jimmy just gave him a glare and looked down at Cindy. The man moved back.

"Cindy, I know this looks weird, but I'm begging you. After all we've been through, you have to believe me. Just do as I say, I won't hurt you. Just come with me on the hover car and I'll explain. Please, trust me," Jimmy whispered as he approached his lab. Cindy just kept moving backward, still in a state of shock.

Jimmy stood still when he was near his hover car. He looked around to make sure he hadn't been followed. Jimmy threw Cindy to the ground and aimed his gun at her. "Just get in the hover car," Jimmy said with tears in his eyes. Cindy did as she was told. Jimmy thought he would die when he saw her face. It wasn't one of anger or fear, just blank. Like she didn't even know him. Jimmy got in the hover car and flew it away. When they were past the city limits he chucked the gun over the side. When he was done putting the hover car on auto-pilot he turned around and was about to talk to Cindy.

However, when he turned around all he saw was a fist flying at his face. Cindy leapt onto him and started beating him senseless. Jimmy didn't even try to block the blows, he knew that he deserved this. "You bastard! I thought you were my friend and you tried to kill me!" Cindy shrieked as he pulled him to his feet and gave him a roundhouse kick to the head.

After another five minutes of knocking him around she sat down, breathing heavily. She had a half a mind to throw him over the edge of his stupid hover car. Jimmy very slowly got to his feet and held up his hands.

"Please, you don't understand. I never would have hurt you," he said as he put a hand to his bleeding head. Cindy got up and was about to beat him up again when Jimmy backed up and resumed holding his hands up. "Please, you know that I would never hurt you. If you had fought me back there I would have let you go and allowed those guys to get me. I _never _would have shot you. Cindy," he said as he fell to his knees. "You know that I wouldn't have done all of that unless there was a _very_ good reason. Please believe me. Please," he whimpered as his head fell down and he started to cry. "Please," he said again as he raised his head and looked her in the eyes.

Cindy stared at him, fire burning in her eyes. Her expression softened just a little when she got a good look at Jimmy. He was a mess, his eyes watering and his face bleeding pretty severely. He was shaking, both in fear and in pain. She thought back to all that they had been through together. They had saved each others' lives countless times. She supposed she should at least hear what Jimmy had to say.

She extended a hand. Jimmy gladly took it, and Cindy helped him up. She then quickly gave him another roundhouse kick to the head. She sighed. "Ok, I've got it out of my system. Now tell me what the hell is going on," she tiredly said while taking a seat.

Jimmy slowly got up and covered his head, scared of another attack. When he saw Cindy patiently sitting down, he sat back down in his pilot's chair. "Well, it all started a couple of days ago," Jimmy began.


	2. Explanations

Disclaimer: I still don't own Jimmy Neutron or any related characters.

"As I'm sure you know, five people were murdered here in Retroville last week," Jimmy continued. Cindy nodded her head solemnly. "I had seen the story on the news, and I felt bad and all, but I had never given it much thought. However, as the days went by, I noticed something strange in the case. The police thought that the murders might be connected, and the suspect began to quickly look like me," Jimmy explained.

Cindy thought back and remembered listening to the news while eating breakfast every morning. She tried to remember what the anchor had said about the murderer. _The police believe that the suspect is a teenager. Evidence found at the crime scene suggests that he has brown hair. He is most likely around five feet and five inches tall._ The words suddenly came back to her. "Jimmy, you didn't," Cindy asked him in a scared voice.

"Of course not! Cindy, you know that I'm not a murderer," Jimmy desperately said. Cindy thought about that for a moment and nodded her head. "Anyway, this morning I heard them mention my name on the news. I looked at the TV, thinking that I had won another award or something. Then they said that I was the key suspect in the murder. They had found my DNA at the crime scene. There was more, but I was too shocked to hear the rest. I kind of zoned out for a minute. Next thing I knew, I heard the anchorwoman say that the police had a warrant for my arrest. So I went to get out of Retroville, the cops chased me, and that's when you came in.

"Jimmy, if what you're saying is true, why didn't you just explain yourself to the police?" Cindy asked.

Jimmy shook his head. "Remember when they thought that I robbed that bank a few years ago? They didn't even listen to my side of the story. You think they'd be any nicer now that it involves murder?" he explained while pacing around.

Cindy nodded her head. She probably would have done the same thing if she had been in his shoes. "Alright Neutron, I guess your story makes some sense. But why did you take me as a hostage? Why me?"

"You were right there at the time. Besides, I'm smart enough to know that I'll need your help," Jimmy said. He then paused for a second and rubbed his temple. "I'm sorry Cindy. This is my problem. I've already done enough to you. Let me turn around and drop you off at Retroville," Jimmy said sadly.

"But they'll probably capture you if you go back," Cindy said, a little impressed by his chivalry.

"It doesn't matter. Besides, I'll just drop you off real fast and fly away. They won't have time to catch me," Jimmy said while looking at her. "I'm truly sorry for what I did to you Cindy. I just hope that someday you can forgive me," he went on. Jimmy walked over to the control panel and started turning the hover car around. Suddenly he felt a hand resting on his shoulder. He turned around and saw Cindy.

"Look Neutron. I'm still mad at you, but we've been through a lot. You've saved my life before, and I've saved yours. If I was in your shoes I know that you'd help me. We'll figure this out together."

"Cindy, I can't ask you to do that, it's too dangerous."

"Jimmy, I think we both know that when the chips are down, we can call on each other for help. Now are you going to let me help you or am I going to have to make you?" Cindy asked while jokingly holding up her fist.

"Well, I think I've sustained enough injuries for one day, so I guess I have no choice," Jimmy replied, laughing a little.

Jimmy returned the hover car to auto-pilot mode and took some blankets and pillows that he had in his hypercube. It was getting late, and they'd both had a rough day.

"Jimmy, where are we going?" Cindy asked as Jimmy threw her a pillow and covered her with a blanket.

"I have no idea," he smiled. "Just as long as it's far away," he said. He staretd to walk back to his pilot's seat, but Cindy reached up and grabbed his arm.

"Just know that I've got your back, big brain," Cindy said while smiling.

"And know that I've got yours," Jimmy said before he returned to driving the hover car.


	3. The Plan

Disclaimer: I don't own Jimmy Neutron or any related characters.

Cindy awoke the next morning not knowing where she was. She looked to her side and saw the ocean going by. _Oh yeah, the whole assisting a criminal thing_. She nestled back into her pillow, but heard a strange voice.

"The FBI now how has a key suspect in the Retroville murders. His name is James Isaac Neuron. He is only fourteen years old and approximately five feet five inches tall. He was last seen wearing a red shirt with a yellow atom etched onto it. He also had on blue jeans. He has brown hair and blue eyes. He fled from government agents yesterday afternoon, during which he assaulted an agent and stole his gun. He took a Cynthia Aurora Vortex as a hostage. She is also missing. Jimmy Neutron is wanted for murder, robbery, kidnapping, illegal possession of a firearm, resisting arrest, and assault," the mysterious voice said.

Cindy sat up and looked around. She saw Jimmy sitting down with a portable radio in his hand. He noticed that she was awake and smiled at her. She smiled back as he walked over. "Glad you're awake. Would you like some hot chocolate?" he asked kindly. Cindy nodded, and Jimmy grabbed a thermos from his hypercube.

"Jimmy, how much stuff do you have in there?" she questioned as she took a sip. "This is good by the way, thank you."

Jimmy poured himself a cup and sat down next to Cindy. He couldn't help but smile at her. Even right after waking up she was beautiful. "Cindy, I've had some time to think since yesterday. I'd like to talk about what's going on," Jimmy said in a serious tone. Cindy nodded.

"First, I'd like to thank you from the bottom of my heart for helping me. This could be dangerous, even life-threatening, but you offered to help me without giving it a second thought. I still can't believe that anyone would help me after what I did to you yesterday. I am sincerely grateful," he said while looking down. He was a little embarrassed.

"Second, remember that you are in this entirely by choice. At no time will I force you to help me. If at any time you want out, just say the word. I'll let you go, even take you back to Retroville if you wish," Jimmy continued.

"Jimmy, we're in this together now. I'm in it for the long haul," she said while grabbing his hand, quickly dropping it and blushing when she realized what she was doing.

"Cindy, thank you for that. But I have to ask you one favor. I really need you to agree to this."

"What is it?" Cindy asked.

Jimmy let out a deep sigh and frowned. "I hate to be negative, but we have to discuss this. If we do get caught, please go along with my story that you were nothing more than a hostage and I forced you to stay with me."

"Jimmy, we're in this," Cindy started, but Jimmy cut her off.

"Please let me finish. I know that you want to help, and I am grateful for that and respect it. But there is no reason for both of us to go to jail. If you truly care about me and are helping me because of that, you'll understand that I could never live with that guilt, knowing that it was my fault that you were in jail. Please agree to this," Jimmy pleaded.

Cindy had never seen this side of Jimmy. It was almost like he knew that they weren't getting out of this. "Alright, but you have to do one thing for me," Cindy stated.

"Anything," Jimmy replied.

"Promise me you'll figure a way out of this," Cindy said very seriously.

"I promise," Jimmy said, but Cindy could see a flicker of doubt in his eyes.

The two teenagers were quiet for a moment, listening to the sad song on the radio. _How do you keep getting yourself into these messes? And why is it that you always bring the ones you love into it? I mean, my friends. Just friends. I think_, Jimmy thought as he stole a glance at Cindy.

"Moving on, let's get to the situation at hand," Jimmy resumed talking. Cindy motioned for him to continue. "This whole thing is going to be very complicated. The first thing that I have to do is figure out who framed me. Then I have to locate where that person, is. If I can sneak into their home I might be able to get a confession on tape. Once I gather some evidence and capture the criminal we can head back to Retroville. I'll radio them in advance to let them know that I'm coming in peace and to hold their fire. I'll hand over the criminal, and hopefully my name will be cleared. And you'll be a hero and have my eternal gratitude," Jimmy said, laughing a little as he looked at Cindy during that last part.

"Sounds simple enough," Cindy said while taking another sip of cocoa. Jimmy couldn't tell whether she was being sarcastic or not.

"I think we should land on some deserted island for now. I have enough supplies to build a sort of base and begin figuring out the identity of my enemy. Besides, this hover car is kind of small," Jimmy went on.

"Jimmy, I'm sorry that I kicked your ass yesterday," Cindy apologized to Jimmy.

"I'm sorry I've gotten you involved in a life-threatening adventure, held you at gunpoint, and threw you around like a rag doll," Jimmy said as he counted those things off on his fingers. "Yep, I think that's it."

They both laughed. Jimmy turned the radio up and put his arm around Cindy, half expecting a slap on the face. He was both surprised and glad as she scooched closer to him and rested her head on his shoulder. _Well, this is going to be one hell of an adventure_, Jimmy thought as he laid his head back and smiled.


	4. Doubts Erased

Disclaimer: I don't own Jimmy Neutron or any related characters.

A couple of hours later Jimmy was landing his hover car onto a small island. Ho got out first and grabbed Cindy's hand, helping her off. Cindy was about to protest, but thought better of it

"So, where are we exactly?" Cindy asked while looking around.

"I believe we're somewhere in the Indian Ocean, but I can't be sure," Jimmy replied.

"We're really that far from home?" an astounded Cindy asked.

"Yep. We'll probably be here for a few days. Why don't you go see if you can find any food and water," Jimmy said as he took some technical stuff out from his hypercube. After he took everything he needed he tossed the cube to Cindy. "If you find any food you can put it in this. I'll get to work making a makeshift lab and see if I can figure out who's behind all of this."

Jimmy saw Cindy stare at him with a puzzled look on her face before heading off. Jimmy sighed; he knew what this was about. He walked over to her and grabbed his hypno-beam out of the hypercube and handed it to her. "I can't blame you for doubting me after what I did to you. Use this to see if I'm telling the truth," he said as he handed her the hypno-beam.

"How do I know that you didn't tamper with it?" Cindy asked. She regretted saying that when she saw the hurt look on Jimmy's face. "I didn't mean it like that," she tried to explain.

Jimmy held up a hand. "Like I said before, I really don't blame you for not trusting me. Cindy, I think you know how to make sure I'm telling the truth," Jimmy replied. Cindy stared at him, a little confused. "Just think about it," Jimmy said as he took a few steps back and nodded his head.

Cindy was a little upset that she didn't trust Jimmy, but she had to know for sure if he was telling the truth. She fired the hypno-beam at Jimmy's face. Jimmy's expression changed from thoughtful to blank. "Did you murder anyone in Retroville?"

"No," Jimmy said flatly.

_For all I know, this thing didn't even work and he's just standing there with a stupid look on his face, lying to me._ She suddenly realized what Jimmy was talking about a moment before, about knowing if he was telling the truth. "Do you like Betty Quinlan?"

"A liked her a little bit in fifth grade, but not anymore," Jimmy replied in that monotone voice.

"Tell me your three darkest secrets," Cindy commanded.

"I am upset that you do not completely trust me, even though I said that I understand. I am in love with you, Cindy Vortex. I wet my bed until I was six," Jimmy replied without hesitating.

Cindy was quite taken aback by that second secret. She had guessed that before, she wasn't an idiot. But it was still quite a shock to hear him say it. _Well, I guess I know for sure that he likes me now._

She now felt bad for doubting him. He had just told her his darkest secrets. He hadnt even hesitated to say them. That meant the hypno-beam must be working, which also meant that he really was innocent. 

Cindy considered learning more about him, but realized that that would be unethical. He _had _kidnapped her and held her at gunpoint, though. Then again, she had beaten him up and just learned his darkest secrets. _Ok, one more question and then I wake him up_. "Tell me the progression of your feelings towards me," Cindy commanded. She took a seat on the sand, knowing that this might take a few minutes.

"At age ten I truly disliked you. We fought all the time and we were rivals. I enjoyed insulting you and beating you in school. After we defeated the Yolkians something inside me changed. When you were nice to me in space I realized that there was a different side to you, a kinder side. I liked that side of you.

Once we got back to Earth we started arguing again, so I shook those thoughts out of my head. We resumed being rivals. Very rarely you were nice to me, and I liked it when you did that. It was those few rare moments that made me reconsider my feelings towards you.

As the year progressed I found myself admiring your intelligence a little more. You were the only person who could give me a run for my money in school. We still argued and fought, but we began to hang out and I liked that. Then something happened that truly changed how I felt.

We tried to sign a contract that said that we would be friends. Soon after we had to go on a show called Intergalactic Showdown. You made me realize that I wasn't the best at everything, nobody was. Everyone has abilities that make them special. You taught me that I needed to trust others. Together, along with Sheen, Carl, Libby, Goddard, and Bolbi, we saved our planet and many others. When we got back to Earth we nearly kissed for the first time. We had done so before, but it was either a dream or under the effects of a potion.

Things quickly began changing between us that second half of the school year. We were nicer to each other and barely argued any more. I realized that you were smart, attractive, and kind. Yet you had a fire inside of you, a dangerous side that came out when you were jealous or mad. This side of you also intrigued me. Basically, I came to realize that I had feelings for you. You were nearly perfect in my eyes. I admitted these feelings to you on an expedition to Mars.

In sixth grade we started to stop being rivals and start being friends. We could be in the same room for quite some time without arguing or insulting each other. I enjoyed your presence. I liked it when you were kind. I also liked it when we argued, which was not as often. I got to see that fiery side of you. It became harder to deny to myself and others that I had feelings for you.

In seventh grade we hardly ever argued or fought. Every moment that I spent with you was like paradise. You were always on my mind. I began to think that I might be in love with you.

This past year we were in eighth grade. It became nearly impossible for me to not shout my love for you when we were near each other. I wanted more than friendship, more than the occasional holding hands or kiss on the cheek. I realized that you were everything I could ever want. You were perfect.

That is how I feel about you, Cynthia Vortex," Jimmy finished his speech, still with a blank look on his face and speaking in a monotone voice.

Cindy nearly fainted. She had no idea he could be so complicated, his feelings for her could be so deep. She had always liked Jimmy, and to know that he felt the same way for her made her happy in a way that she couldn't even imagine. There was no doubt in her mind that Jimmy had been telling the truth. He was innocent, and she would help him clear his name no matter what the cost.

"Wake up!" she shouted.

Jimmy shook his head and looked around. "What happened?" he asked.

Cindy dropped the hypno-beam and walked towards him. Jimmy slowly backed away, thinking that she was going to beat him up again. She increased her pace and pushed him against a tree.

She kissed him. Not on the cheek, not a simple peck on the lips, but a real kiss. She let loose all of the feelings she had tried to hide from him for five years in that kiss. After what seemed like an eternity she let go and slowly moved her head away from him. "I believe you," she said as she walked off.

Jimmy was amazed. Never had he imagined that a kiss could be that amazing. He stared after Cindy, his brain not able to process a single thought. He did what any fourteen year-old boy would do after having been through that. He fainted.


	5. A Villain Unmasked

**Disclaimer: I do not own Jimmy Neutron or any related characters.**

Jimmy awoke a few moments later, still in a state of shock. _She kissed me! She kissed **ME**! _Jimmy started hopping around and shouting "Yes!" He heard a branch snap behind him. He turned around and saw Cindy staring at him, clutching her sides and bent over laughing.

"I, uh, there was, uh, oh forget it. You kissed me and I'm happy, ok?" Jimmy shouted.

"Anyway, I got some food and water. I'll get to work on building us a shelter. Just get started on your lab so we can find out who's behind all of this," Cindy told him as she turned around and walked off. Jimmy couldn't help but stare at her as she walked away.

"Turn around and get to work, Jimmy," Cindy yelled without even looking behind her. _Man, how does she do that?_ Jimmy thought as he got to work.

Three hours later Jimmy finally turned around from his work and saw a nice little campsite a few hundred yards away. Cindy had got a small fire going, and she had made a very small and primitive hut. Jimmy walked over and started checking things out. "Very nicely done, Cindy," he told her.

"Thanks Jimmy. How is your lab coming along?" she asked while leaning against a tree.

"I did the best I could with the supplies I had with me. Tomorrow I'll get to work on solving this mystery. What do you have for dinner?"

Cindy walked over and handed him some coconuts. Jimmy split them open with the laser on his watch. They sat on a log and watched the sun set.

"Major deja vu, huh?" Jimmy asked while grabbing her hand.

"Yep," Cindy replied while thinking of a similar situation that they were in three years ago. "You know, I still have that pearl that you gave me on the island," Cindy said.

"I can't believe you kept that," Jimmy said while shaking his head and smiling.

"Well, don't read too much into it. It's a pearl, not a flower," Cindy joked.

After a couple of hours of staring off into the distance in silence, Jimmy got up and walked over to the shelter Cindy had made. "I'm tired Cindy. See you in the morning," Jimmy said as he covered himself with a blanket.

"I'll be in in a few minutes," she told him. "Don't wet the bed, you'll ruin your eight year streak," Cindy yelled at him.

"I won't," he said as he closed his eyes. A second later they shot open. "Hey! That was a major violation of... well, ok. But we're even now, got it?" Jimmy shouted while covering his head with the blanket.

"Fine with me," Cindy said while laughing. After finishing sipping the milk from a coconut she walked over to the shelter and laid down a few feet away from Jimmy before falling asleep.

Cindy woke up the next morning and looked at her watch. _10:30! _She thought. She didn't usually oversleep this much. She hopped off of the floor and went over to a pile of clothes in the corner. She started to change her clothes when Jimmy walked in.

"You up yet Cin- OH MY GOD! I am so sorry!" Jimmy yelled as he walked into the hut.

"Get out!' Cindy yelled as she covered herself with the blanket. Luckily she hadn't been completely naked.

"Of course," Jimmy said as he ran outside. "I am so sorry. I thought you would have come to see me before you dressed up. I should have knocked. I swear I didn't see, uh, much," Jimmy tried to explain. After a couple of moments Cindy walked out of the hut and gave him a glare.

"Here, erase it," Jimmy said as he handed her the hypno-beam. "Unless you don't want to, I mean, you don't have to erase it," Jimmy said while shrugging his shoulders and giving her a sheepish grin.

"Just shut up," Cindy said as she grabbed the hypno-beam and fired it. "You will forget the last five minutes and awaken when I snap my fingers," she commanded. She snapped her fingers and Jimmy woke up.

"What the, how did I get to the hut?" he asked with a confused look on his face.

"Never mind, just take me to your lab and show me your progress," Cindy said with a scowl.

"Uh, sure," Jimmy replied, still confused by what was going on. Within a minute the two teens were at his makeshift lab. "Well, I tried to tap into the cameras I have around Retroville."

Cindy gave him a cold stare. "Don't worry, they're not in anyone's houses or anything, just on street corners and stuff," he explained while inputting a command on the computer. "Luckily, I had one in the vicinity of one of the crime scenes. I might be able to access my files and figure out who the killer is," Jimmy said while pressing some more buttons.

All of a sudden an image appeared on screen. It was pretty fuzzy. "Why is it of so low quality?" she asked Jimmy.

"Hey, I'm doing the best I can with the equipment I brought with me. Plus, this happened at dusk, so the video will be dark. I can't believe that I never put a night vision feature on those cameras," he said as he hit himself on the head.

Jimmy pressed a button on his makeshift computer. All of a sudden the image started moving. In the distance Jimmy and Cindy could see a young woman walking through the park. It looked to be about seven o' clock, and it was pretty dark. She sat down on a bench and stared at the fountain. After a couple of minutes another figure walked up and pulled out a gun and shot her with it. He dropped the gun and ran off as the girl's body went limp.

"That poor woman," Cindy said.

"Yes, but did you see that he, or she, dropped the gun? I'll bet that it has my DNA on it somehow. Let me rewind and zoom in on the murderer," Jimmy said as he pushed a few more buttons. The mysterious figure was positioned on the center of the screen. Jimmy zoomed in as much as he could before the image got too fuzzy. "Ok, he looks a couple of inches taller than me," he said as he wrote that down in a notebook.

"Jimmy, does is having your DNA on the gun really enough evidence for them to arrest you?" Cindy asked.

"I don't know. It doesn't seem like enough to incriminate me. Why don't you go have some breakfast or something? I'm going to see if I can hack further into my lab's files. Maybe there's something I can use in there," Jimmy said as he buried his head in his hands.

"Alright, I'll check back in a little while. Don't give up," Cindy said as she kissed him on the cheek. She then walked back to the hut, ready to have something to eat.

Jimmy smiled for a moment before returning to his work. _Figures. We finally get together and the police want me for murder. That kind of thing happens way too often_.

After another hour of flipping switches and turning knobs Cindy returned to him. He turned around and stared at her. "Wow!"

Cindy had just come back from a swim and was in her bathing suit. "What is it?" she asked.

"Well, there was a rare toucan," he started. _Oh for god's sake, she already kissed you. Enough denying things. _"You just look really nice, that's all," he stuttered.

Cindy was a little surprised, but then again nothing was normal about this adventure. "So, any progress?" she asked.

"A little. I was able to hack into another crime scene's video. The one we saw earlier was his first murder, so he wasn't as experienced. This one should reveal more about how he framed me," Jimmy explained as he pulled up a file. He hit the play button and watched as the mysterious figure came into view.

This murder also took place at night, but it was close to a streetlight. "Ah, this is much better," Jimmy said as the victim came on the screen. He could see her a lot clearer than the first woman. Just then a masked person started sneaking up behind her. He was hunched down a little bit. The footage was fuzzy, but Jimmy could still see him pretty clearly. He put his hand around her mouth and stabbed her in her side several times. After she went limp in his arms he tossed her to the ground. The masked figure took a look around. He took a plastic bag out from his pocket and emptied its contents onto the woman.

"What is that stuff?" Cindy questioned.

"Let's see," Jimmy replied as he zoomed in on the bag's contents. "It looks like, yes, it's my hair," Jimmy said.

He pressed the play button and continued watching the video. Jimmy saw the man in the mask pull out a note from his pocket and place it in the victim's hands.

"What does it say?" Cindy asked Jimmy. He just shook his head.

"I'll never be able to zoom in enough to read it in this scene," he said. He fast forwarded the video until the cops came onto the scene the next day. One of them took the note from the woman. He carefully opened it with his gloved hands. He walked a little closer to the camera and turned his back to it. Jimmy could see the writing over the cop's shoulders. Jimmy paused it and zoomed in. He could read what the letter said.

_You thought that I was nothing. You refused to respect me. You assumed that I was worthless because I'm just a kid. I'll show you all. Never again will you think that I am not a threat. That's four girls down, and there'll be a lot more. So keep your eyes peeled. I'll be lurking in the shadows, always watching you. Lock your doors and keep your guns loaded, because I'll kill again. I will never stop. _

My name will be as well known as Jack the Ripper. Children will shudder in fear when they hear it. A never ending game of cat and mouse has begun. You will never escape my terror. My thirst for blood will never be quenched. Let the games begin.

Sincerely yours,

The Cutting Kid

"Well, that's very disturbing," Jimmy said as he finished reading the letter. "No wonder those FBI agents tried to kill me. This guy is a monster." Cindy nodded her head in agreement.

"So, let's go over what we know about this guy," Cindy suggested.

"Good idea," Jimmy replied. "He is trying to frame me for five brutal murders"

"He is a little taller than you," Cindy piped in.

"He somehow got my hair," Jimmy added.

"He likes to toy with the police," Cindy continued.

"Plus, he's trying to frame me specifically. It must be one of my enemies," Jimmy suggested as Cindy nodded. "Baby Eddie is obviously not a suspect. Professor Calamitous is too short. Beautiful gorgeous is too tall. Grandma Taters is too obese. The junkman doesn't fit the description. Maybe it's Nick," Jimmy said.

"Jimmy, you know that Nick is not smart enough to do all of this," Cindy reminded him.

"That's true. But who does that leave?" Jimmy asked.

"Eustace Strytch!" they both exclaimed at the same time.

"Besides, he lives near Retroville, which is where the murders happened!" Cindy shouted.

"That's gr- bad!" Jimmy said while lowering his head.

"Why?" Cindy asked.

"We'd practically be returning to the scene of the crime. It'll be hard to evade the police.

"Jimmy, we can do this. Besides, at least we have friends in Retroville," Cindy said.

"Ok, let's leave in the morning," Jimmy said angrily. _He killed five innocent people and destroyed my good name. He **will** pay._


	6. Preparations

**Disclaimer: I don't own Jimmy Neutron or any related characters.**

The next morning Jimmy and Cindy were loading their gear onto the hover car. "Hey Jimmy?" Cindy asked.

"What is it?" Jimmy asked as he tossed some of his makeshift lab onto the hover car.

"How come you had changes of my clothes in your hyper cube?" Cindy questioned.

"That's what you call a plot hole," Jimmy said without looking up.

When they were all packed Jimmy and Cindy set off for Texas. Jimmy sat in his pilot's chair as Cindy lay down in the back, reading a novel Jimmy had with him. "So, what exactly is the plan, Neutron?" she asked while turning the page.

Jimmy steered the hover car a little to the left and flipped a few switches. "Well, do you have a cell phone?" he asked her.

"Here," she told him as she tossed him her cell phone. "I don't think that you'll get any reception out here though."

"I'll put the hover car on auto-pilot and see if I can build something to amplify the signal," he said as he pushed a few more buttons on the control panel. He then walked over to Cindy and sat down.

"Could you move over, you're in my light," Cindy said, a little agitated.

"Alright, fine," Jimmy replied as he scooched over. _So we go from friends to an old married couple. Just great._ He took out a few tools and began to tinker with the cell phone. After about thirty minutes he got up and resumed talking to her. "We'll call Carl and the gang and see if they can get us some supplies from my lab."

Jimmy walked back over to his pilot's chair and dialed Carl's number, then canceled it. "I think Libby might be of more help," he mumbled as he dialed her number. After a few moments she picked up. "Libby! Am I glad to hear you!" Jimmy shouted, excited about talking to one of his friends.

"Neutron! You little bastard! What have you done with Cindy? I swear to god I'll kill you if you've done anything to her," Libby shouted at the top of her lungs. Jimmy felt Cindy tapping his shoulder. He sighed and handed her the phone.

"Libby! LIBBY! Stop yelling, I'm fine. Yeah, he didn't kill me. He's innocent, ok?" There was a short pause. "Just trust me, alright?" Another pause. "Yeah, I kicked his ass good for treating me like that." Cindy started laughing. "Yeah, he was crying and begging for mercy, it was hilarious," Cindy explained. Jimmy threw his hands up in the air and sighed.

"Yeah, guess what. That hypno-beam is good for some stuff after all. He wet his bed until he was six! Can you believe that?" Cindy continued.

"Just give me the god-damn phone!" Jimmy yelled as he snatched it out of Cindy's hand. "Libby! LIBBY! Stop laughing! I was nervous about starting school! I couldn't help it! Lots of kids had that problem." There was a short pause. "No, I didn't use plastic sheets. It wasn't my-, will you stop it! We have bigger problems!"

Jimmy moved the phone away from his ear until the laughter stopped. "Libby, focus! I need you, Sheen, and Carl to go into my house and grab some of my hair from my brush," he said. There was another short pause. "I don't know; go over to comfort my mom or something. After you get the hair get into my lab. Gather a lot of my inventions. Shrink ray, pen laser, Goddard, the works. I want you to put them in a backpack. Take the backpack to your house. At eight o' clock tonight Cindy and I will come by and grab it through the window in your bedroom. Whatever you do, do not tell anyone besides Sheen and Carl what is going on," Jimmy finished.

Jimmy listened as Libby repeated what she had to do and agree to it. "Alright, thanks a lot. I owe you one," Jimmy said. Libby was about to hang up when Jimmy remembered something. "And Libby," he continued in a very serious tone, "please stay in your house after dark for the next few days. Trust me on that."


	7. Awkward Moments

**Disclaimer: I do not own Jimmy Neutron or any related characters.**

After finishing his conversation with Libby Jimmy tossed the cell phone back to Cindy. He checked the map on his hover car to be sure that the auto-pilot was controlling the hover car correctly. "So," Jimmy began. "We'll hover over the ocean for a few hours, and then we'll have to fly about five hours until we get to Retroville. We'll _quickly_ stop by Libby's window, grab our supplies, and then we'll head over to Eustace's house and take it from there."

"Sounds like a plan," Cindy said as she put down her book.

"Cindy, I could drop you off at Libby's house. You've done enough, really. I can handle Eustace on my own," Jimmy offered as he sat down next to her.

"Jimmy, do you really think I'm going to abandon you now, jut when things are starting to get good?" Cindy responded.

Jimmy knew better than to argue with her now. "Alright, we'll beat him together." Jimmy and Cindy sat there in complete silence for about ten minutes. Cindy was twirling her hair, and Jimmy was tapping his fingers on the floor. "Well, this is very awkward," Jimmy said.

"Why the heck did we leave so early anyway?" Cindy asked.

"I, uh, don't know," Jimmy replied. "No sense in turning back no, though."

They sat there for another few minutes, not knowing what to talk about. "So, what else did I say when I was under that hypno-beam?" Jimmy asked, fearing the worst. If he revealed the whole wetting the bed thing he must have revealed his darkest secrets, and there was definitely one that was darker than that.

"Oh, you just told me about your undying love towards me," Cindy responded.

"Well, that's interesting," Jimmy said in a high-pitched voice. He started tapping the floor twice as fast. "Well, we must be near Retroville by now," he said as he got up. Cindy grabbed his arm and pulled him back down.

"It's only been twenty minutes since you called Libby," Cindy reminded him.

_Oh my god, another eight hours of this! _Jimmy thought.

"I feel the same way about you, Jimmy," Cindy said as she stared at the ground.

"That's, um, good," Jimmy continued. "I gotta be honest, I have no idea what to do with this," Jimmy explained. "I mean, this is definitely not how I figured we'd get together.

"Really? Because this is exactly how I pictured it. Me and the guy I've liked half my life would be fleeing from the cops after he held me hostage at gunpoint. He would be wanted for murder, assault, and robbery among other things. I figured we'd be on some god damn island in the Indian Ocean, three thousand miles from home, I'd hypnotize him, and he'd rattle on for five minutes about how he loves me more than anything in the world after he told me that he wet the bed until he was six! It's every damn girl's freaking dream!" Cindy shouted. "Idiot," she mumbled.

"Um, ok then," Jimmy said as he moved a few inches away from her.

After a few minutes of silence Cindy spoke up. "God, I'm sorry Jimmy. It's just that none of this makes any sense."

"Cindy, it's ok. I know this is kind of awkward, but things will be better when we get back home and this adventure is over," he said as he put his arm around Cindy and kissed her forehead. _God, I do I love her_. He looked down and stared at her, glad that he know longer had to hide his feelings.

Cindy looked up at him and smiled. He smiled back. She pulled him towards her and gave him a quick kiss. "You're right Jimmy," she said as she snuggled into him.

They sat there for a few moments. Suddenly, Jimmy had an idea. "So what do you think about Bush's plan to drill for oil in Alaska? I think it's great, we'd be getting half a million more barrels of oil a day."

Cindy scowled up at him. "Are you insane? We'd be destroying one of the nation's, one of the _world's_ last national preserves. You can't destroy mother earth just to get more oil for our SUVs," she retorted as she scowled back at him. Her expression changed when she saw Jimmy smile.

"True, but what about all of the machinery that we can use to help save people and animals?" he challenged her. _Man, I could never have done this with Betty._

For the rest of the day Jimmy and Cindy ate lunch, listened to the radio, and had some light-hearted debates. Neither of them could help but smile, they finally had each other.


	8. One Hell of a Ride

**Disclaimer: I don't own Jimmy Neutron or any related characters.**

"Alright, it's almost eight o' clock," Jimmy said as he took control of the hover car. "Oh no," Jimmy said as he glanced behind him.

"Let me guess. The cops are right behind us, are pulling out their guns, and opening fire as we speak," Cindy guessed as a bullet flew by her.

"Yep."

"Activate evasive maneuvers?" she asked as she moved next to Jimmy and took some controls.

"Yep," he said as he took the other half of the controls. "Let's do it."

Cindy grabbed the wheel as Jimmy started flipping switches. The hover car doubled its speed as it flew through the air.

"This is Officer Sanchez. James Neutron is heading past Main Street. Take him out," one of the cops spoke into his walkie-talkie.

Cindy was desperately trying to dodge the trees that came into view, evade the bullets, and make her way to Libby's house. "Can you handle the controls yourself?" Jimmy yelled as he put on a backpack.

"I guess, why?" Cindy screamed as a bird nearly flew into her face.

"Listen. Gain a lot of altitude. Then keep going and pick me up at the park in five minutes," Jimmy yelled as he stood near the edge of the hover car. Libby's house was almost in sight.

"Neutron, what the hell are you doing!" she screamed as she quickly glanced behind her.

"Eyes ahead of you!" Jimmy screamed. Cindy looked ahead and banked right, narrowly missing a tree. She quickly brought the hover car as high up as she could. She looked down and saw squad cars following her. Libby's house was only a few hundred yards ahead.

"Are you insane!" Cindy shrieked.

"Probably!" he screamed as he jumped out of the car. "The park in five! Remember!" he shouted towards the hover car as he freefell. After a second he pulled the ripcord and his parachute opened. _Come on, work, WORK!_ He desperately tried to steer his parachute towards the tree in the Folfax's yard.

Cindy remembered what Jimmy had said as she continued to gain altitude and hid in the clouds. She circled around for a few minutes before heading towards the park.

Jimmy continued to float towards the tree. He tugged on his parachute's ropes, trying to gain speed. He got caught in the very top of the tree, his parachute tangled in the foliage. He desperately tried to undo the ropes of his parachute. He managed to do so, and he fell down about six feet onto a thick branch. He was right next to Libby's room.

He looked inside and saw a backpack on her bed. He didn't see any sign of Libby, however. _Are you kidding me? _Jimmy banged on her window, but still nobody came. He saw some cop cars coming down the street. He kicked the window as hard as he could. He jumped into Libby's room, trying not to land on the shattered glass. He grabbed the backpack and ran downstairs towards the front door.

As he ran out of the house he saw Mr. and Mrs. Folfax sitting on the couch, astounded to see a bloody boy running from their daughter's room. "Don't worry, it wasn't too rough," Jimmy yelled as he ran out the door, referring to his fall. _That didn't come out right._

Mr. and Mrs. Folfax stared at each other."ELISABETH!" they screamed as they ran up the stairs.

He looked from side to side as he ran towards the park. He then glanced behind him and saw several police officers chasing him on foot.

"Stop or we'll shoot!" they shouted.

_God, I hope Libby packed Goddard. _"Goddard, power on. Activate fly cycle mode!" Nothing happened as he continued to run down the street. _COME ON!_

The cops had pulled out their guns by the time Jimmy entered the park. He looked up and saw no sign of Cindy. _Come on Vortex, don't let me down. _"Ok, you got me," Jimmy said sadly as he stopped and held up his hands.

Jimmy braced himself when he heard a familiar whirring sound. The cops looked up as the hover car dived towards them. It was about to slam right into them when they jumped out of the way. Cindy tried to slow it down a little as she straightened out the hover car's path. She reached over the edge and grabbed Jimmy's hand. Trying to steer with one hand and holding Jimmy with the other, she pulled him inside.

"You drive!' she shouted as she handed the wheel over to Jimmy.

"Vortex, I really owe you one," Jimmy said as he gained altitude and flew away. The cops had gotten up and opened fire, but Jimmy and Cindy were already out of their range. Jimmy headed towards Eustace's mansion.

After a few more minutes Jimmy saw the mansion ahead of him. He slowed down the hover car and landed in the yard of a house down the street. He quickly examined the contents of Libby's backpack and slung it over his shoulder. He helped Cindy get out of the car. "Ready?" Jimmy asked her before they headed towards Eustace's mansion. Cindy nodded her head and they ran off.


	9. The Banana

**Disclaimer: I should own Jimmy Neutron, but I dont't. **

Jimmy and Cindy reached Eustace's home in just a couple of minutes. Jimmy grabbed her arm and stopped her. He pulled her towards him and gave her a deep, long kiss. "You are one hell of a pilot," he told her. She nodded her head, slightly dazed. "Anyway, remember that this guy's a millionaire and a murderer. His security system is probably going to be very advanced. Let's be very careful."

Cindy shook herself out of her trance. "What did Libby pack?"

"Shrink ray, pen laser, grappling hook, some smoke bombs, and I threw in the hypno-beam I had with me," he said. He tossed Cindy the hypno-beam. He put the laser in one pocket and the smoke bombs in the other. Jimmy also took the grappling hook out. He slung the backpack back around his shoulders.

They crept forward very carefully. Jimmy was about to throw the grappling hook onto the roof when he thought better of it. "Cindy, you throw it, you're stronger." Jimmy handed her the grappling hook as he took her hypno-beam.

Cindy nodded and took a deep breath. She swung it over her head very carefully and threw it onto the roof. It flew up and caught onto the roof's wall. "Damn, how do you know how to do that?"

"It's similar to the nunchaku. I learned how to use one of those in tai-chi class," she explained as she continued moving forward, towards the mansion. When she reached the wall she stopped. "You go first," she told Jimmy. He nodded and climbed the wall. Cindy soon followed. When she reached the top Jimmy pulled her up and put the grappling hook back in his backpack. He handed Cindy the hypno-beam.

"Don't fire it unless a guard sees us or I tell you to," Jimmy said to her. Cindy nodded her head.

Jimmy walked across the roof until he found a window. He bent down and looked through it. "I don't see any guards or anything." He pulled out his laser and cut around the window, into the metal ceiling. "Get ready to grab it when it falls," he told Cindy. When he finished cutting around it the window fell to the floor. Cindy lunged down and grabbed it. Jimmy sighed and wiped his forward while Cindy just lay there.

"It's kind of heavy!" she yelled to him.

"Oh! Sorry," he told her as he reached down and helped pull it up.

Cindy and Jimmy both stared down the hole. "How far down is it?" Cindy asked.

"I'd guess about ten feet," Jimmy said as he gulped. "Grab my hands. You can lower me down. When we're stretched out as far as we can I'll let go and fall. Then you jump and I'll catch you."

Cindy reached into his pocket and pulled out his laser. "Put this in between your teeth and bite down on it," she instructed him.

"Why?" Jimmy asked as he took it.

"That drop is going to hurt. I don't want you to scream and attract any attention," she explained.

"I won't scream," Jimmy told her in an agitated voice.

"This is no time for any macho stuff. Just do it!" she yelled.

Jimmy did as he was told, a little scared of her. Cindy lowered him as far down as she could. When she couldn't stretch out any more she nodded her head and Jimmy let go. Cindy heard a muffled shout.

"You ok?" she asked him.

Jimmy took the pen laser out of his mouth and tried to stand up. "Yeah, I guess so. My legs really hurt though," he said as he took off his backpack. "Damn it!" he shouted.

"What?" Cindy yelled down to him.

"I crushed the shrink ray and the smoke bombs," he said sadly.

"I'm coming down, make sure you catch me," Cindy said as she clutched the hypno-beam tightly. She definitely did not want to crush that.

"Don't worry, I'll catch you," Jimmy said. Cindy thought about that for a second. "What, what are you doing?" he asked right before she fired the hypno-beam at him.

"You will catch me when I fall," Cindy commanded.

"I will catch you," he repeated. Cindy jumped down and Jimmy caught her.

"Wake up!" she shouted into his ear.

Jimmy shook his head and looked around before remembering what had happened. "Oh, real mature. I would have caught you," Jimmy told her as the turned around.

"Freeze Neutron!" Eustace shouted. He was standing at the other side of the hallway, holding a gun at them. Cindy dropped her hypno-beam. They both held their hands up. But first Jimmy had reached into his pocket and grabbed something.

"I wouldn't shoot that if I were you, unless you want to die," Jimmy said smugly, opening his hand up to reveal a banana.

"Explain yourself, Neutron," a puzzled Eustace asked. Cindy was also staring at him with a confused look on her face.

"In my hand I hold a very powerful explosive device, capable of destroying everything within a quarter mile radius. All I have to do is peel off this protective layer," Jimmy said as he brandished the banana.

_Oh my god, he's lost it,_ Cindy thought.

"Neutron, it's just a banana," Eustace told him.

"No it's not," Jimmy quickly shot back.

"Are you serious? Any idiot can see that's it a banana. It's probably left over from your lunch," Eustace continued.

"Would you be willing to bet your life on it?" Jimmy asked as he started to peel the banana. An evil grin came on his face.

"Actually, yes I would. Peel the damn banana for all I care," Eustace said while chuckling.

Jimmy stood there for a second, not doing anything. "Are you sure?" he asked nervously.

"Are you done?" Eustace asked.

"Yeah, I am," Jimmy said as Eustace led him and Cindy away. Cindy stared at him like he was an idiot. "At least I tried," Jimmy said. Cindy just shook her head sadly, not believing that she had a crush on this guy.


	10. People Do Change

**Disclaimer: No, I still don't own Jimmy Neutron or any related characters. Honestly, in the six hours since I last updated could I have gained ownership of one of the nation's most popular cartoons? **

Eustace led them through a series of hallways at gunpoint until they reached the dining hall. He motioned for them to sit down. Cindy and Jimmy looked at each other and shrugged. As they took a seat Eustace's butler came in with a plate of cookies and milk. Eustace plucked a cookie from the plate and took a sip of milk.

"Butler, go get something for these two to eat," Eustace instructed him. He looked towards Jimmy and Cindy. "Cookies and milk ok?" Both of them nodded. As the butler left then room Eustace turned back towards Jimmy and Cindy. "So, would you care to explain why you were breaking into my house?" he asked as he put his gun down on the table.

"Enough with the games, Strytch. We know that you're behind the Retroville murders, right Cindy?" Jimmy shouted as he stood up.

"I'm your girlfriend, not your sidekick," Cindy said as she took a cookie from the plate the butler had given her.

"Ah, so you two have finally gotten together. That's marvelous. But what is this about the Retroville murders?" Eustace calmly asked.

"Don't play dumb with me Eustace!" Jimmy shouted.

"Neutron, I assure you that I am not playing," Eustace replied. "That didn't come out right. But I have no idea what you're talking about."

"Then you won't mind if I stroll over and PICK UP YOUR GUN!" Jimmy shouted as he ran over and grabbed his gun.

"James, please put that down. First you break into my house, I try to be nice and offer you some food, and then you accuse me of murder and aim a gun at me! You are really starting to irritate me," Eustace said calmly as Jimmy slowly put down the gun.

"So you're really not the one trying to frame me?" Jimmy asked, a little upset.

"What evidence did you find that made you believe it was me?" Eustace asked.

"Well, the killer was about your height," Jimmy told him.

"And?" Eustace questioned.

"Um, that's it," Jimmy said, suddenly realizing that he hadn't thought this through.

"So, someone murders five people," Eustace started before he was interrupted by Jimmy.

"I never said five people! You did do it!" Jimmy shouted.

"It was on the news you idiot!" Eustace shouted. Jimmy shrunk back down in his chair. "So, some murderer is _about_ my height, and you assume it's me. Well, that makes me feel real special."

"Well, in my defense, the person was trying to frame me specifically. Cindy and I thought that it must be one of my arch enemies," Jimmy explained.

"James, I haven't even seen you in three years. We were just kids then. I've changed a lot since then. I assure you that I have no plans of world domination or framing you. I learned my lesson after working with that stupid League of Villains," Eustace told Jimmy.

"Oh, well that changes things then. But this still doesn't make any sense. None of my other arch enemies matches the murderer's description," Jimmy thought out loud.

"James, I have very little idea of what's going, but couldn't one of your enemies have hired some assassin to do their dirty work?" Eustace suggested.

Jimmy stopped pacing around and thought about that for a moment. "Um, well, yes, I suppose that he could have." Jimmy sat down and took a bite out of his cookie. "Eustace, I'm terribly sorry to have bothered you. I was wrong. Do you forgive me?" Jimmy asked quietly. _Man, I hate admitting when I'm wrong._

"No problem James. We all make mistakes," Eustace said he finished off his milk. "Well, I assume that you can let yourselves out," he told them as he walked away.

"Um, Eustace? Could you do us a small favor?" Jimmy sheepishly asked.

"What is it James? It is late," a slightly agitated Eustace said.

"Well, could we stay the night? We're kind of running from the cops. And could you pick up some of my inventions from Libby at the Candy Bar tomorrow?" Jimmy timidly questioned.

Eustace sighed. "I suppose that you could sleep in the spare bedroom. You two don't mind sharing a bed, do you?"

"No! Not at all!" Jimmy shouted. Jimmy looked to his side to see an angry Cindy staring at him. "I mean, I'll sleep on the floor," he continued.

"As for your inventions thing, I'm terribly busy tomorrow. But I suppose that Jeeves could do it for you. Tell your friend to meet him there at noon," Eustace said as he walked away. "The guest bedroom is on the third floor, first door on the left. Goodnight old chaps," Eustace called out as he went up the stairs.

Cindy and Jimmy walked up to the third floor. "Well, why don't you give Libby a call before we go to bed. Tell her to go back in my lab and bring as many inventions as she can, especially Goddard," Jimmy told Cindy as they entered their room.

Cindy nodded and called Libby on her cell phone as she walked into the bathroom. Jimmy started making a small bed on the floor and changed into some pajamas that were in the closet. Cindy walked back from the bathroom in a nightgown that had been in the closet. She put her phone down on the nightstand and walked over to Jimmy.

"Well, see you in the morning," she told him. She bent down and gave him a long kiss. "That's for sleeping on the floor."

Cindy hopped onto the bed and turned off the light. _Man, that was worth being chased by the cops and framed for murder. Well, almost,_ Jimmy thought before he went to sleep.


	11. More Preparations

**Disclaimer: Nope, I still don't own Jimmy Neutron or any related characters.**

"So, now what?" Cindy asked from the bathroom as she dressed up.

"Well, I guess we go see another one of my arch-enemies," Jimmy shouted as he took off his pajamas and changed into his usual clothes, which Jeeves had washed while he was asleep.

"Doesn't this sound like something that Professor Calamitous would do?" Cindy asked as she came out of the bathroom and walked over to the mirror on the dresser.

"Yeah, it really does. I think we should go see what he's up to after Libby drops off my inventions," Jimmy said as he walked over to Cindy. She was staring at a box full of earrings. "The emerald ones," Jimmy said as he went towards the bathroom to freshen up.

"Really?" she asked as she held them up.

"They match your eyes," Jimmy told her. "So, we'll do what we did here last night. Break in and try to gather some evidence," Jimmy said as he washed his hands and threw some water on his face.

"We should leave as soon as Jeeves brings the inventions back. We don't want to stay in one place too long or the cops might show up," Cindy said as she put the earrings on and studied herself in the mirror.

"You look perfect, Cindy," Jimmy said as he strolled by and kissed her on the cheek.

"Master Strytch has asked me to inform you that breakfast is ready in the dining hall," Jeeves told them as he entered the room.

"Thank you, tell him we'll be down in a moment," Cindy told him. Once he left the room Cindy turned towards Jimmy. "So, you ready to eat?" she asked Jimmy.

"Yeah, I'm starving. This will be the first real meal we've had in days," Jimmy told her as he grabbed her hand and they walked downstairs.

"Ah, James, Cynthia. I trust that you two had a good night's sleep," Eustace said as he took a bite of scrambled eggs.

"Thank you Jimmy," Cindy said as he pulled her chair out for her. "And yes, we had an excellent night's sleep," Cindy told Eustace.

"Easy for you to say, you got the bed," Jimmy mumbled.

"So, Cynthia, do you and Neutron have a plan conjured up?" Eustace asked.

"Why yes, _Jimmy_ and I are going to see if we can gather some evidence against Professor Calamitous," Cindy told him. "We'll be leaving as soon as your butler gives us the inventions that he picked up from Libby."

"That's excellent. Here, you should take this. My father has plenty more," Eustace said as he slid the gun he had used on them last night across the table.

"Um, I don't think that," Cindy started.

"Cindy, we're dealing with a murderer here. It can't hurt," Jimmy said as he grabbed the gun from Cindy's hand and put it in his pocket. Eustace gave him a strange look.

"Well then, I'm glad that I could help," Eustace said as he stood up and placed his napkin on his plate. "If you'll excuse me, I have a polo match to attend. Perhaps we'll meet again, Jimmy Neutron," Eustace told them as he walked towards the front door. "Good-bye, Cynthia," he shouted back before he left the mansion.

"I still don't trust him," Jimmy whispered to Cindy as he finished his breakfast.

"You're just jealous," Cindy told him.

"Well, he doesn't have to sound so happy when he says your name," Jimmy grumbled.

After having breakfast Jimmy and Cindy walked into the parlor and found a giant plasma screen TV. "I suppose we should check the news to see if there's anything about us," Jimmy suggested as he grabbed the remote and turned the TV to CNN.

"In other news, James Isaac Neutron is still at large. James Neutron is the key suspect in the Retroville murders. Earlier this week the Retroville Police were given a warrant for his arrest. The local police and government agents pursued a fleeing Mr. Neutron. James tripped one of the agents and stole his gun. He then took a fellow classmate and friend of his, Cynthia Aurora Vortex, as a hostage. The two flew away on what James calls a hover car.

James and Cynthia disappeared for a few days. However, at around 8:00 p.m. last night James returned to Retroville. Details about this incident are few, but what we do know is that he jumped from his hover car and parachuted into another friend's house. He was seen exiting the house on foot with a backpack that he did not have with him before. The contents of this backpack are not known at this time. After police officers threatened to open fire James surrendered. Just then his hover car came barreling down at the officers. They jumped out of the way and James hopped into the car.

Some policemen say that the pilot of the hover car was none other than Cynthia Vortex. Footage caught by a civilian brandishing a video camera proved this statement. It is not known at this time whether Cynthia was threatened to pilot the hover car or did so of her own free will," the anchor reported. "The whereabouts of the two teens are still unknown," he finished.

Jimmy turned the TV off and turned to Cindy. "Jeez, did he have to use air quotes every time he said hover car?" Jimmy asked.

"At least they don't know where we are," Cindy said. "Man, now they think that I'm a criminal too," Cindy said sadly.

"You can still get out of this. You can still clear _your_ name," Jimmy suggested yet again.

"Jimmy, now this is even more personal. He's made me out to be the bad guy too. If anything, I want to fight him more," Cindy told him as she left the room and went to get a drink.

A few hours later Jeeves walked up to them and handed Jimmy a duffel bag. "I believe this is yours, Master Neutron," he said. "I believe this also belongs to you." He motioned to the door as Goddard ran in.

"Goddard! I'm so happy to see you!" Jimmy shouted as he kneeled down on the floor and played with his best friend.

"You are really dating this young man?" Jeeves asked Cindy as she got up and stood by his side. They both stared at Jimmy rolling around the floor and rubbing Goddard's stomach.

"I'm afraid so," Cindy said while chuckling a little, glad to see Jimmy happy again.

"I'm very sorry," Jeeves told her.

"Me too," Cindy said as she put her head in her hands and left the room.


	12. Their First Fight

Disclaimer: I don't own Jimmy Neutron or any related characters.

"Alright, so what else did Libby pack you besides Goddard?" Cindy asked as she and Jimmy sat down on the couch.

Jimmy started rummaging through the duffel bag and pulling things out. "Let's see. Another pen laser, some more smoke bombs, book gum, air gum, another shrink ray, and the cheese ray." Cindy stared at Jimmy. "What? I like cheese and I was bored one day."

"Whatever," she said as she picked up a book on the table beside her and started reading.

"Goddard, search planet for highest concentration of Professor Calamitous' DNA," Jimmy commanded. A map of the world came onto Goddard's monitor. Jimmy zoomed in until he could get the exact location.

"Alright, he's built an underwater Utopia fifty thousand feet under the ice in Antarctica. He's also cloned himself and placed dozens of the clones around the rest of the continent. He's somehow managed to learn the polar bear's language. He has bred with their women and created a hybrid species. It looks like they feed on human blood. There are thousands of these placed on strategic points around the continent. He has also hijacked the Space Station and place dozens of nuclear missiles on top of it," he said as he studied the screen.

"Really?" Cindy asked as she hopped off of the couch and ran to look at the screen,

"No, he's just hiding out deep in the Amazon Jungle," he told her. "Let's go," he said as he grabbed her hand and the duffel bag. They ran across the street to where they had hidden the hover car.

Jimmy and Cindy ran over to the control panel and pushed some buttons. The hover car once again lifted off of the ground and sped off. Jimmy put it on auto-pilot and sat down in the back with Cindy.

"Alright, so the same plan as before. At least we have Goddard this time," Jimmy said as he put his arm around Cindy. "Do you mind if I call Libby and thank her?" he asked.

"Here," she said as she handed him her cell phone.

Jimmy dialed Libby's number and waited as it rang. He was surprised to hear Sheen's voice on the other end.

"Folfax residence. Who is this?" he asked.

"Sheen! Glad to hear you. It's Jimmy. What are you doing at Libby's house?"

"Uh, we were just studying."

"Sheen, you weren't studying, were you?" Jimmy asked.

"Yeah we were," he said nervously.

"What subject?"

"Uh, uh, damn it! All right, we weren't studying. You know what we were doing. But at least I don't wet my bed."

"Are you kidding me! She told you?" Jimmy shouted. Cindy walked over and tried to hear what was going on.

"It's on her web site," Sheen explained.

"Since when does Libby have a web site?" Jimmy shouted.

"Since she found out you wet your bed. Man, pay attention Jimmy," Sheen said coolly.

"Just put her on the phone," he grumbled. He looked behind him to see Cindy rolling on the floor laughing. "Oh shut up," he told her. "No, not you Libby. I just wanted to say thanks for getting me my inventions. BUT GET MY SECRET OFF OF YOUR WEB SITE!" he shouted into the phone.

Cindy got up and walked back over to where Jimmy was. She tried to listen to what was going on. "Sorry Jimmy, I guess it just leaked out," Libby told Jimmy as she started laughing.

"That's not funny!" Jimmy shouted.

"Yeah, it is," Cindy told him.

"Quiet," he told Cindy.

"I gotta go, Jimmy. Pee you later!" Libby shouted as she hung up.

Cindy and Jimmy looked at each other. "That one wasn't very good," Jimmy said.

Cindy nodded. "Very bad pun," they both agreed.

A few hours later Jimmy and Cindy were at the edge of the Amazon Jungle. Jimmy looked at the map Goddard was displaying on his chest. "Hmmmm, it's about two miles north." Jimmy looked over the edge of the hover car. "The foliage is too thick for the hover car to go through. We'll have to head to Calamitous' hideout on foot.

Jimmy landed the hover car and helped Cindy off. He put all of his inventions from the duffel bag into his hypercube, which he then put in one oh his pockets. He kept the gun and the smoke bombs in his other pocket, though. "That jungle is very thick and dangerous. It's way too easy to get separated. We should hold hands so we don't get lost," he told Cindy.

He grabbed Cindy's hand and walked into the jungle with Goddard by their side. He was amazed that after they had professed their love for each other and kissed all of those times that he still got the same rush by holding her hand. _Jeez, I guess I do love her._

After a couple of hours of hiking Jimmy checked their progress. "I'd say that we're about halfway there," he told her as he examined Goddard's map.

"Can we take a little break? I'm tired," Cindy said as she sat down on the dirt.

"Yeah, I'm beat too," Jimmy said as he pulled some water out of his hypercube. He tossed a bottle to Cindy and grabbed one for himself. After he took a few sips he noticed a small bulge on her back.

"Cindy, take your shirt off," he told her.

"What!" she shouted. She walked over and slapped him hard across his face.

"No, not that. I think you have a leech on your back," Jimmy told her as he rubbed his cheek.

Cindy stared at him for a moment. "You better hope I do," she said. Jimmy just stood there and stared at her. "Turn around! Goddard will get it off," she told him. Once she saw him turn around she took her shirt off.

"Goddard, examine Cindy for leeches. If you find any burn them with your laser eyes. Put power on lowest level," Jimmy instructed, still with his back turned.

Cindy felt a small prick as Goddard shot one of them off. She quickly put her shirt back on and stepped on it. "Alright, you can turn around," she told Jimmy.

Jimmy turned around. "It was just on your back. I wouldn't have seen anything," Jimmy told her as they started walking again. "You didn't have to get all defensive," Jimmy continued. Cindy just rolled her eyes. _Boys. They are such idiots_, Cindy thought.

As they continued walking Cindy stopped as she realized something. She twisted Jimmy's arm behind his back and pulled the hypno-beam out of his hypercube.

"What the hell are you doing!" Jimmy shouted.

Cindy spun Jimmy around and fired the hypno-beam at his face. "Did you use Goddard to film me topless a moment ago?" she yelled.

"No," the blank faced Jimmy said.

"Wake up!' she told him. _Damn, I forgot to tell him to forget being hypnotized._

Jimmy angrily grabbed the hypno-beam out of her hand. "God Cindy! I'm not a pervert! I've waited to get together with you for four years! Don't you think I have a little more respect for you than that?" Jimmy yelled at her. "And you yell at me, telling me the hypno-beam is unethical," he shouted as he put it back in his hyper-cube.

He grabbed her hand and continued walking, just wanting to get this stupid adventure over with.


	13. Deceipt

**Disclaimer: I still do not own Jimmy Neutron or any related characters.**

"Jimmy, I'm sor-," Cindy started to explain.

"Not now," Jimmy said as he quickly glanced around him.

"But," she continued.

"Quiet!" he whispered angrily. They both stood there in silence for a moment. All of a sudden they heard a twig snap behind them.

Jimmy spun into action. He whipped his gun out of his pocket, cocked it, and aimed it behind him. _How the hell does he do know how to do that?_ Cindy thought.

"Show yourself, we're armed!" Jimmy yelled. When nobody answered Jimmy crept off into the jungle. "Cindy, stay here," he whispered to her. Cindy did as she was told.

Jimmy crept into the foliage. He heard another twig snap to his right. He spun around and saw something dart through the bushes. Not wanting to waste any bullets or injure an innocent person Jimmy didn't fire. He slowly circled around.

_Maybe it was just a monkey or something. _He started to walk back to Cindy when he heard a _snap_ right behind him. He spun around and hit his attacker in the face. The guard fell on his back. He aimed his pistol up at Jimmy and was about to fire, but Jimmy kicked his hand, which sent the gun flying. Jimmy fired a single bullet into the man's chest. He saw the person shake horribly and gasp, but he then went limp.

Jimmy walked a few yards ahead and picked up the man's gun, which was now laying on the ground. He put it in his pocket. He strolled back over to the man had had killed. He bent down and felt for a pulse. There was none. Jimmy got a good look at him and gasped. _He, he's practically a kid. _The man looked to be of about nineteen. Jimmy stared him in the face, his eyes forever holding a look of surprise and pain. Jimmy wiped his hand over the man's face and closed his open eyes. "I'm sorry," Jimmy muttered as he wiped a tear from his own eye. He walked back towards Cindy.

"Jimmy, what happened? I heard a gunshot!" Cindy shouted as she hugged him.

"It was, uh, just a monkey or something. Don't worry, I missed. It's fine," Jimmy said as he grabbed her hand and continued walking forward.

Cindy stared at Jimmy, who was now a little in front of her. She saw two guns sticking out of his pockets. _Eustace only gave him one._


	14. Jimmy and Cindy Snap

**Disclaimer: I do not own Jimmy NEutron or any related characters.**

"Goddard, scan area for humans and place them on your map," Jimmy instructed his dog. Dozens of dots sprang up around Calamitous' hideout. "We're only about a quarter of a mile away now. This path looks the least guarded," Jimmy said as he drew a path with his finger. "And Goddard, tape record all sounds until I say to stop it. We need to be ready to tape Calamitous' confession.

"Alright Jimmy, what really happened back there?" Cindy asked as she pulled Jimmy to a stop.

"What are you talking about?" he asked her.

"You've got another gun. Where did you get it?" she asked.

Jimmy sighed as he realized the butt of the gun was sticking out of his pocket. "Ok. Back there a guard attacked me. I killed him and I took his gun, I knew we might need it," Jimmy told her as he tried to continue walking. Cindy grabbed his hand and made him stop.

"You killed someone?" she yelled.

"Keep your voice down," he told her.

"Why did you kill him?" she demanded.

"He attacked me! He tried to shoot me! What did you want me to do, just stand there?"

"Why didn't you use the hypno-beam or just knock him out?" Cindy asked.

"God Cindy! This isn't a game! If Calamitous finds us we're dead!"

"That doesn't give you the right to kill!"

"Yes it does! I am the good guy, protecting myself from the bad guy!" Jimmy yelled.

"We've defeated dozens of enemies before and you never killed any of them!" Cindy shouted, not believing that Jimmy was trying to justify murder.

"Did you ever notice a problem with that? They kept coming back! We were kids then Cindy," Jimmy angrily explained. "Do you think that I enjoyed what I did back there? You think I enjoyed watching him suffer as he took his last breath, enjoyed having to close his eyelids for him?"

"I can't believe that you," she began.

"Well believe it! You know what happened back in Retroville? You remember those five innocent people that were killed? I did what I had to in order to insure that another girl didn't suffer the same way!"

"There was no reason for you to kill him," Cindy repeated.

"Grow up Vortex! We're not ten anymore! Things change. I can't spend the rest of my life capturing a criminal that was hell bent on trying to kill me, only to have him escape from jail two months later and do it again! They are the bad guys, not me! I thought you of all people would realize that you need to get your hands dirty for the greater good. What did you think this whole adventure has been about? A romantic getaway for the two of us? A sight-seeing tour? No! It's been trying to clear my name and stop a killer. I need to end this between me and him. If he doesn't finish me off himself I'll fry in the electric chair for a murder that I didn't commit. Now stop whining, get off of your butt, grab a gun, and let's finish this!" he screamed.

Cindy stood there with a look on her face that Jimmy had seen only once before. It was right after he had taken her hostage. It was a blank look, like she didn't even know him. "I'm done."

"What? he asked, a little confused.

"I call it. I'm out of here. You said this little trip was my call. Now take me back to Retroville," she said, trying to remain calm.

"I can't do that, we're in too deep and you know it," Jimmy told her.

"You said it was my choice! Now end it! I've seen enough!" she yelled at him.

"I can't end it now, we have to finish this. Now let's just do what we have to do and get the hell out of here!" he yelled as he tossed her a gun. _That is the stupidest thing that I have ever done_, he thought.

"Alright, put your hands up and take me back home," Cindy said in a shaky voice. She had cocked the gun, trying to imitate what Jimmy had done.

Jimmy turned around and took a deep breath, not believing that he was about to do this again. "Put the gun down, Cindy," he said as he aimed his gun at her.

Both of them stood there, aiming their guns at the other. Goddard just sat there and stared, not believing what was going on.

"What are you going to do Cindy, shoot me?" Jimmy asked. He could see that Cindy was shaking with nervousness.

"You are not the man I agreed to help. You're not the Jimmy Neutron I know and love," she told him. "Put your gun down and let's go home."

"You can't shoot me, Cindy. And you know it. The years have softened you," he sneered.

"The years have hardened you," she shot back. _What the hell is going on?_ "You're being crazy, Jimmy. Let's put the guns down and talk about this. You know that neither of us could kill each other. I realize that we both went a little crazy. I'm sorry that I didn't trust you before. I had no right to accuse you of being a pervert. Let's just calm down and talk about this," she offered.

Jimmy looked at himself and Cindy. _What is going on? I am **not **a killer. My god, I'm actually holding a gun on Cindy!_ Jimmy threw his gun into the jungle. "Cindy, I am so sorry. I have no idea what the hell happened," he told her. Cindy dropped her gun as he ran over and gave her a hug. He picked up her gun and threw that one away too.

"Alright, I have no idea what just happened. You're right, I shouldn't have killed him. What was wrong with me? I should have been holding the hypno-beam, not a gun! Can you' ever forgive me for aiming a gun at you, again?" Jimmy asked as he started to cry.

"Oh god, I pulled a gun on you first," Cindy started to cry as well.

"Ok, you were right. I was wrong. No more killing. We'll just use the hypno-beam or knock them out. Just because we can kill doesn't mean that we should. We're the good guys. I should never have taken that gun from Eustace. We're ok, right?" Jimmy asked as he wiped the tears from Cindy's cheeks.

"Yeah, we're good," she said as she kissed him.

"If you want to go home I'll take you back there right now," Jimmy offered.

"No. You were right. We can't give up now. Let's just sneak in, get some evidence, and get the hell out of here. I can't take much more of this," Cindy told him. Jimmy nodded his head and helped her up.

"Bravo! You two should have your own TV show. I swear, that was much better than _Days of Our Lives_," Professor Calamitous shouted. Jimmy pulled out his hypno-beam, but dozens of guards emerged from their hiding places in the brush and aimed their guns at him..

"For a moment I actually thought that you two might save me some time and finish each other off, but oh well. Guards, escort these children back to my hideout," Professor Calamitous commanded. He led the way as his two prisoners followed.


	15. The Jawbreaker

**Disclaimer: I don't own Jimmy Neutron or any related characters. I also don't own the Austin Powers reference which you will read in a moment.**

"Bring them in here," Professor Calamitous instructed as they entered his hideout. The guards took Jimmy and Cindy into a dining room. They looked at each other and shrugged, but took a seat, as did Calamitous. The guards backed up against the dining room's walls. They placed Goddard in a cage next to them.

"Well, if it isn't little Jimmy Neutron. It's been quite a while since we've seen each other, hasn't it? I believe three years?" Calamitous asked as he started to eat his dinner.

"Um, yes. It's been way too long. Well, Cindy and I have to get back to Retroville, so, uh, see you later," Jimmy said as he stood up. All of the guards aimed their guns at Jimmy.

"Sit, Neutron. So, have you been having a rough time in Retroville? I heard that there have been quite a few murders there," Calamitous said in a knowing tone.

"Ugh. Look, can we skip the whole _revealing every step of your ingenious plan_ cliché?" Jimmy exasperatedly told him.

"Fine, have it your way. Well, that saves me quite a bit of time, so I guess we can skip dinner," Calamitous stated as he got up.

"Alright, whatever," Jimmy said as he and Cindy stood up also. Jimmy reached into his pocket and threw something into his mouth.

"Alright, hands up! What the hell was that?" Calamitous shouted as he pulled out his gun and aimed it at Cindy and Jimmy.

"Calm down, Calamitous! They're just jawbreakers," Jimmy said as he opened his hand to reveal several small, black balls. "Do you want one?" he asked as he continued to suck on the one in his mouth.

"No thanks, I never did like sweets," Calamitous said in an oddly normal tone. "Anyway... guards! Leave the room, and take that stupid dog with you. Have it dismantled immediately," Calamitous instructed as his henchmen left the room, which left just Cindy, Jimmy, and himself.

"What are you going to do now?" Jimmy asked.

"I am going to put you in a room. I will have my newest and most inexperienced henchman stand at the door with his back to you. You will be placed in a series of easily escapable chains. You will then be lowered from the ceiling at a ridiculously slow rate into a pool of acid. I'll leave the room and just hope that everything goes well," Calamitous said as he took a few steps back and continued aiming his gun at them.

"Really?" Jimmy asked, his voice full of hope.

"No, you idiot. I'm going to shoot you in the head right now," he told them while chuckling evilly.

"Wait! Can I just say one thing before you kill us?" Jimmy shouted in a pleading tone.

"Alright, what?" Calamitous said in a tired voice.

"You have got to stop with the clichés," Jimmy said as he spit out the smoke bomb.


	16. Who Am I?

**Disclaimer: I do not own jimmy Neutron or any related characters.**

As soon as Jimmy spit out the smoke bomb he jumped to his right and pushed Cindy to the floor.

"Damn it!' Calamitous shouted as the room filled with a thick, black smoke. He let loose a barrage of bullets around the area where Jimmy and Cindy had been.

Jimmy lay on top of Cindy, covering her head and trying to shield her from the bullets. He reached into his hypercube and pulled out his hypno-beam. He grabbed Cindy's hand and ran in a circle until he was behind professor Calamitous. As the smoke started to clear Jimmy could see Professor Calamitous. He ran up to him and hit him with the hypno-beam as hard as he could in the back of his head.

Calamitous fell to the floor and dropped his gun. Jimmy ran over and picked it up. He dropped his hypno-beam as he aimed the gun at Calamitous. The smoke was now almost completely gone.

"Ow! Damn it!" Calamitous yelled as he put a hand to his bleeding head. He looked up and saw Jimmy standing about ten feet in front of him, aiming the gun at his chest.

"Well done, Jimmy. It's amazing how alike we are, isn't it?" Calamitous sneered.

"What the hell are you talking about? I am nothing like you," Jimmy yelled at him.

"Really? How many times have you used your smarts, your inventions in an unethical way to amuse yourself at other peoples' expense?" he asked Jimmy.

"I was just a kid. It was harmless fun, I never hurt anyone," Jimmy said while tightening his grip on the gun.

"Really? How many times have you put the ones you love in danger with your little toys?"

"They, they were accidents. And I always fixed them," Jimmy told Calamitous, his voice a little uncertain.

"That may be true. But what about this little adventure? What about what you did to your little girlfriend there? Using her to escape from the cops," Professor Calamitous continued while shaking his head.

"I, I needed to escape. I didn't hurt her," Jimmy stuttered.

"You didn't, did you? You tossed her around like a rag doll, aimed a gun at her, just so _you_ could escape. And now her life is in danger, her reputation is gone. Everyone thinks that she's a criminal now, too."

Jimmy stood there, for the first time truly realizing what he had done to Cindy.

"And out there in the jungle? You promised you would take her home, and you lied. Then you pulled a gun on her _again_, just so you could clear your name," Calamitous went on.

"But, but," Jimmy's voice was faltering.

"And killing that guard back there? You had disarmed him, he was injured. There was no way that he could have hurt you. Yet you shot him anyway," Calamitous yelled.

_My god, I didn't need to kill him. I knew it then, too. Why didn't I just take out the hypno-beam?_

"And now look at you. Look down, Jimmy. Look what's in your hands," Calamitous instructed him. Jimmy looked at his hands, realizing that he was holding a gun on Calamitous. 

"You could have just hit me with your little hypnosis toy. But you didn't. You dropped it and picked up the gun. Why did you do that Jimmy? You can try to justify this any way you want. I may be a murderer, I probably deserve to die. But you killed when you didn't have to. You're becoming what you hate most. It will only get worse as time goes by. You said it yourself; you're not a kid anymore. Take a look at the man that you've become," Professor Calamitous told Jimmy as he got up.

Jimmy thought about all that he had done._ I, I'm a monster. I killed when I didn't have to._ Jimmy looked around him, looked at the gun in his hands.He thought back to the guard he had killed.Then he thought about the tapes he had watched on the island, the murders that he had witnessed._ No. NO! I am nothing like him. He started this. He's the one that killed those innocent people. I'm not a saint, but I'm nothing like him. All I did was try to clear my name and stop him from killing again. I'm the good guy. I"M THE GOOD GUY!_

"No, no. I'm not like you. I feel bad about what I've done. I looked the man I killed in the eyes and felt regret. I closed his eyelids for him. You never did that. You killed innocent people and felt good about it. I killed one evil person and felt bad about it. And I won't kill again," Jimmy said, half to Calamitous and half to himself. He walked forward, still keeping the gun on Calamitous. He bent down and picked up his hypno-beam. He backed up and placed the gun on the floor. He gently kicked it aside with his foot. 

"I am nothing like you." Jimmy aimed the hypno-beam at Calamitous and fired it. "Call the guards in here. Tell them to stop dismantling Goddard and bring him in here also. Tell them that you killed us. Speak in your normal voice and act normally. Take them all into a room on another floor. Keep them there for an hour. Have drinks and congratulate them on a job well done. Start completing these commands in sixty seconds," Jimmy said as he put the hypno-beam away.

He hit himself hard across the face. He took some of the blood that was pouring from his lip and smeared it onto his face.

"Cindy, hurry and do the same. We have to act like we're dead," Jimmy told her. Cindy nodded and repeated what Jimmy had done.

As Calamitous called out for the guards, Jimmy grabbed Cindy's hand and pulled her onto the ground. They slumped onto the floor facedown. Jimmy tilted his head a little so that the blood on his face was visible. He tried to take slow, shallow breaths.

The guards came in with Goddard, who was still intact. Calamitous and the guards left the room. Jimmy and Cindy got up and ran over to the dog. Jimmy picked up Goddard with one hand and grabbed Cindy's hand with the other.

"Let's just get back to the hover car and get the hell out of here," Jimmy whispered as they ran out of Calamitous' lair and into the jungle.


	17. It's Over

**Disclaimer: I still do not own Jimmy Neutron or any related characters.**

Four hours later Jimmy, Cindy, and Goddard were on the hover car. Jimmy flipped the usual switches and they rose into the air. Jimmy programmed the auto-pilot to take them back to Retroville. He spun his chair around to see Cindy standing by his side. She bent down and gave him a kiss.

"I'm proud of you, Jimmy. You did the right thing back there, dropping the gun," she told him. Jimmy got up and grabbed he hand. They both sat down in the back.

"Yeah, I guess it was the right thing to do. But knowing Calamitous, he'll bust out of jail and we'll be going through this all over again in a few months," Jimmy said sadly.

"So what? We'll just beat him again. And again, and again if that's what we have to do. Admit it, we're a hell of a team," Cindy said.

"Yeah, we do work well together," Jimmy agreed as he put his arm around her. "I'm sorry for all of this. I'm the one who got you into this. I used you as a hostage, and look what you did. You were amazing back there, Cind. But then again, you've always amazed me."

"Jimmy, I've said it before and I'll say it again. You can be a show-off, a jerk, have an ego the size of Mars," Cindy started.

"Get to the point," Jimmy muttered, a little agitated.

Cindy let out a little laugh. "But things are never boring when you're around."

Jimmy and Cindy lay in each other's arms for a few minutes, just staring at the sunset.

"You know, I want to say this without being hypnotized," Jimmy started. "I love you, Cynthia Aurora Vortex. You are the most amazing girl I've ever met. I knew that you were special the second I met you. It took me a while to realize it, but I love you. You are the bravest, smartest, prettiest girl in the world. I know it sounds clichéd, but I really mean it. I've always been happiest when I'm with you, even when we were fighting.

You're the one thing that I could never figure out. It's amazing when you think about it. I can practically play God. I can twist the hands of time and bend the rules of science, but I could never quite figure you out. Every thing I found out about you was like opening a dozen Christmas presents. I can't imagine ever feeling this way about another girl. It's like, it's like, I can't even put it into words. It's just like we're meant to be. Like it's a rule of science or something. You just complete me," Jimmy exasperatedly told her.

"Jimmy, I love you too, from the bottom of my heart. I think deep down I always did, I was just too jealous to admit it. I was the smartest kid before you came here, and I thought I was happy then. But I felt like there was something missing. When you moved to Retroville that emptiness got filled up. You challenged me. You made me try to be the best that I could be.God, when I think back to all the years we've wasted fighting. Let's never go back to that. This is so much better. I love you, James Isaac Neutron," Cindy told him.

Both teens sat there in silence, their arms wrapped around each other, tears in their eyes. After four years of arguing, fighting, and denying their feelings they could finally open up. It was like a giant weight had been lifted off of their shoulders. Never again would they have to hide their feelings or try to convince themselves that they hated each other. It was a moment that happens only once in a lifetime. It was a moment of pure joy and happiness, a moment with no worries or fears. They just sat there, happier than they had ever imagined that they could be.

"Jimmy, I hear music," Cindy whispered into his ear.

"I do too, whenever you're near me," Jimmy whispered back.

"No, I really do hear music," Cindy said as she gently pushed him away. They looked behind them and saw Goddard playing a romantic song.

"Goddard!' Jimmy yelled, but he couldn't help but laugh. "That reminds me, let's see if we got some evidence against Calamitous," Jimmy said as he ran over and pushed some buttons on Goddard.

Cindy crossed her fingers as Jimmy fast forwarded. "Man, the boss is finally going to kill those stupid kids. It'll be nice to have them out of our hair," one of the guards said.

"Yeah, old Calamitous really did do a good job of framing them. Even if we did do most of the work," another said.

"Yes! We got it! We're in the clear!" Jimmy yelled as he ran over and enveloped Cindy in a huge hug.

"We did it, Jimmy. Now let's just get home," Cindy said. "I can't wait to sleep in my own bed."

Jimmy ran over to the control panel and saw that they were less than an hour from Retroville. He grabbed the speaker and turned some knobs on his radio.

"This is Retroville Police, what is your problem?" an officer said.

"This is James Isaac Neutron speaking. Please put your commanding officer on the line," Jimmy instructed. He heard some shouting on the other end.

"Mr. Neutron, you have got a hell of a lot of explaining to do," the commander angrily shouted.

"Listen carefully. I am coming back to Retroville within an hour, and so is Cindy. Please hold your fire, we come peacefully. But I want you to listen to this first. I am innocent. Professor Calamitous framed me. I ran away from you and the other officers to gather proof, which I have. Listen," Jimmy said as he played the recordings that Goddard had.

"Neutron, just get over here. We are going to have to have a long talk about this," the commander said.

An hour later Jimmy and Cindy were in police custody. Both were being interrogated separately. Their stories matched up perfectly. Upon hearing Goddard's audio recordings the police agreed that the teens might be innocent. A special S.W.A.T. team was sent to the Amazon to capture Calamitous.

Jimmy and Cindy were waiting in a jail cell the next day when the chief of police came over. "Alright, you're stories check out. Calamitous is in government custody. Upon examining his lair we found evidence that linked him to the crimes. It was wrong of you to flee from the authorities, but we realize that it was under special circumstances. It will take a few days to officially clear everything up, but we are releasing you," he told them.

He opened the cell door and Jimmy and Cindy walked out of the police station to find their parents there. They ran over and embraced their families.

"Well, it will take a little while for things to go back to normal, but we did it," Jimmy told Cindy.

"Yep. I'm just glad this is all over. And we're definitely a couple now, right?" Cindy asked.

"You bet. See you tomorrow, _honey_," Jimmy told her.

"I'll be counting the minutes, _dear_," Cindy replied. They shared a quick kiss before heading home. Both hopped into their beds and immediately fell asleep, glad that their whole ordeal was over.


	18. Epilogue

Disclaimer: I do not own Jimmy Neutron or any related characters.

_Six Months Later_

"Jimmy, are you sure about this? You don't have to do this," Cindy reminded her boyfriend as they walked up the stairs to a white house.

"I need to do this, Cind. I need to prove to myself that I'm nothing like Calamitous. You don't have to come with me, though," Jimmy reminded her.

"Jimmy, we started this adventure, and we're going to end it together," she reminded him yet again.

Jimmy took a deep breath and gathered his courage. _You have got to do this, Jimmy. You just have to._ Jimmy rang the doorbell.

A few seconds later a women in her early forties opened the door. "Who are you?" she asked the two fifteen year-olds.

"Um, hi Mrs. Rogers. We spoke on the phone a few days ago. We, well, _I_ have to talk to you. It's about your son," Jimmy quietly said.

At the mention of her son Jimmy saw her expression sadden. "Please come in," she told them. "Frank! Come down here please," she yelled up the stairs.

A man of about the same age as the woman ran down the stairs. He kissed his wife on the cheek and grabbed her hand. He stared at the two teens in front of him, who were also holding hands. Mrs. Rogers led her husband onto the couch.

"Mr. and Mrs. Rogers, this is very difficult for me to say, but it has to be said. I am the one that killed your son," Jimmy said sadly. He wiped a tear from his eye as Cindy squeezed his hand.

Mr. Roger's expression quickly turned to one of anger. He jumped up, but his wife quickly pulled him back down into his seat.

"What did the government actually tell you about your son's death?" Jimmy sheepishly asked.

"All they told us was that he was aiding a master criminal and that some teenager shot him. They were lying, weren't they? My son would never have done such a thing! He was a good boy, and you killed him!" Mr. Rogers shouted rising to his feet again.

"Frank, dear, calm down," Mrs. Rogers told him.

"No! This boy is the murderer, not my son! You'll pay!" Frank shouted as he jumped up and hit Jimmy hard in the face.

"How dare you!" Cindy shouted as she rose to Jimmy's defense, ready to fight Mr. Rogers.

"Cindy, no!" Jimmy shouted. Cindy stared at him. "This is my problem. Please let me handle it," Jimmy told her as his nose started to bleed. Cindy nodded her head in agreement and backed off.

"Listen, I think you deserve to hear the whole story," Jimmy told them. Mrs. Rogers pulled her husband back onto the couch. For the next hour Jimmy and Cindy recounted their tale to the couple.

"That is truly what happened. Your son had broken the law. But that in no way justified my killing him. He was of no threat to me. He was unarmed and injured. He couldn't have hurt me, yet I killed him anyway," Jimmy sadly told them. Mr. and Mrs. Rogers looked at him in silence, both of them with a scowl on their faces.

"I know what I did was wrong. I know that my apology won't bring your son back, and I will have to live with this guilt the rest of my life. I just thought that we both needed the closure. I'll go now. Once again, I'm truly sorry," Jimmy said as he grabbed Cindy's hand and walked out of their house and hopped into the hover car. Mr. and Mrs. Rogers just stared after them.

"Cindy, could you drive? I just need to lie down," Jimmy asked her as they took off in his hover car.

"Sure, Jimmy," she told him as she took Jimmy's seat in the pilot's chair. "Jimmy, you did more than anyone else would have. The fact is he was a criminal. You righted your wrong. You proved to yourself that you're nothing like Calamitous. Cheer up," Cindy told him.

"Cindy, I know that you're trying to make me feel better, and I appreciate it. I know that I shouldn't feel this bad about it, especially after all of this time. God, why did I have to look in his face all of those months ago? It would have been so much easier to think of him as just an enemy, not a person," Jimmy tiredly told her as he laid down.

Cindy put the hover car on auto-pilot and sat down next to Jimmy. She took his face in her hands and made him look her in the eyes. "Jimmy, you are the kindest and smartest boy I have ever met. I love you, and you know it. You are always surrounded by family and friends. You made a mistake. Everyone does. But it's been six months. You finally apologized to the right people for what you did. It's like you said, both of you needed closure. I can't expect you to just forget about what you did, but try not to think about it. You ended it back there. You have the rest of your life ahead of you. Just, just enjoy it. We all love you, Jimmy. Especially me. Now get that big brain of yours back in the game," she instructed him.

Jimmy looked Cindy in the eyes. _God, even after all of this time I still get that same feeling when I look at them. _He thought about what she had just told him. _I did something wrong, but I fixed it the best I could. There is nothing more I can do. Cindy's right. I have to move on._

Jimmy nodded his head, and Cindy kissed him and let his face go. She snuggled up against him and laid her head on his shoulder. Jimmy looked down and saw the girl that he loved. He looked behind him and saw the sun set as the Rogers' house disappeared into the horizon. For the first time in six months he smiled and didn't feel a pang of guilt. He was as happy as when he had confessed his love to Cindy after escaping from Calamitous all those months ago. _I'm back_, he thought.

Author's Note: Well, I'm finally finished with this story. I had never expected it to be this long. In fact, I wrote the first chapter because I was really bored. I looked at the first few paragraphs and thought _"No way can I make this into a story". _I guess I was wrong.

I expected to end it after about ten chapters, with Eustace being the main villain. Then I thought that it might be an interesting plot twist for Calamitous to be the murderer. That bought me about another five chapters.

I'd like to thank all of my reviewers, they really motivated me to keep writing. I'd especially like to thank _SilverSummerMoon _and _NeT_. Those two gave me quite a few generous reviews.

Well, that's about it. I don't know what my next story will be about, I think I need a little break after writing all of this. Thanks again for reading, and I hoped you liked it.


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